Attitudes of Teams Reflect Leadership: The New Type of Leader Is Needed Post COVID

By: Stephanie Diana Eubank

As we grow into the new normal that is our post-COVID lockdown world the concept of remote work and the remote workplace are going to require companies to change what leaders are promoted and developed.   There is a traditional trope of leaders using authentic leadership as a catch-all term to excuse bad behavior.  This is the opposite of what true authentic leadership is.

There is a wonderful FORBES article, Kruse (2014); defines authentic leadership best.  Article, Kruse (2014); defines authentic leadership as a person in leadership that leads with the following concepts:

• A leader who is genuinely themselves and self-aware,
• Mission-driven,
• Empathetic leadership, and
• These leaders focus on the long game. 

Leaders who follow the true definition of authentic leadership are now being coined as “Empathic Leaders”.  With the stress of remote work, and COVID still raging employees in remote workplaces are suffering from a whole host of new issues that in the past research of remote work were not the case. So, moving leaders who may or may not have had Toxic Leadership traits into a remote workplace is not only helping to drive employees to join the Great Resignation movement both in remote and onsite settings.

We have all had a toxic leader in the workplace. The concept of toxic leadership and how it may cause trauma to employees emotionally has been becoming a better-documented issue due to the great resignation. Traumatized workers don’t want to work on-site or remote for a company promoting a toxic work environment through the work of a toxic leader.  Attitudes in the workplace reflect leadership. In many cases unfortunately employee trauma reflects previous leadership at other companies’ toxicity. 

There is even now a concept of The article found in Psychology Today on the topic of toxic leadership, Kim (2016); notes specific qualities in toxic leaders.  Those traits are as follows:

• Toxic Leaders cannot take criticism or suggestions.
• Toxic leaders go beyond bragging, these leaders go out of their way to be self-promoters.  These are leaders who take praise and don’t acknowledge their team and their contributions.
•  These toxic leaders also lie and are constantly inconstant with instruction and standards.  Further, these leaders may rely on gas lighting methods to keep employees in line. (This doesn’t work well in a remote setting).
• Toxic leaders tend to be risk-takers and thus tend to ignore compliance and have a lack of ethical standards. This isn’t to say leaders who do a proper risk assessment are all toxic.  However, toxic leaders tend to not have an ethical code and just outright ignore rules outside of a reasonable risk assessment.  These leaders tend to be in the fight for themselves and not their team.
• Toxic leaders also tend to promote others with the same behaviors and toxicity that they do. 
• These toxic leaders also will promise mentoring and training, but the mentoring and training is subpar.  Personal experience and research show that often this is done on purpose on the part of a toxic leader for fear the student will surpass the master. Confident true authentic leaders get when their mentees do well it is a positive reflection on them and all tides lift all boats.  Personally, I have found that the workplace is like a cross-country running team.  What I mean by this is on a cross country running team you are still a team with an end goal but as individuals, you are still competing with each other.  The trick confident leaders and teachers have learned is that the key is to keep working on yourself and developing more skills so that mentees are on your team and there is more to offer to our mentees.
• Another toxic leadership trait that seems to follow from high school is toxic leaders tends to develop cliques.  Almost “Mean girls”, level cliques in the workplace even remotely.  This behavior causes tribalism in the workplace and can ruin any collaborative and creative culture in an onsite or remote workplace.
• Lastly, toxic leaders tend to create a scapegoat in the workplace and do a lot of bullying.  Often times the bullying and scapegoating can go on through the use of micro-management. Although micro-management is a leadership tool that is needed from project to project to help with quality control and training it can become abusive if it becomes a leader’s main methodology of leadership.  One thing I have encountered in consulting on remote team development is the question, “well don’t you need constant micro-management in remote work?”.  The answer is no.  True authentic leaders know that they can reach out and follow up and use tools to manage productivity and use qualitative and quantitative analysis of productivity.  A mentor of mine once told me, “Manage the work not the people”.  In my research and experience, it means to trust and give autonomy so that work and projects can be managed properly.

Toxic leaders are now easier to uncover in a remote workplace.  This creates a Human Resource (HR) nightmare in the making.  The reason for this is toxic leaders make hostile work environments.  Not to mention that these kinds of leaders scare away potential hires.  If a company wants to end the revolving door business leaders need to cultivate empathetic leaders and people who truly embody the true meaning of authentic leadership.  Also, embracing remote work would help too, but; one issue at a time.

In the comments share some experiences you have had in the workplace virtual and onsite of toxic leaders.  And remember sharing is caring.   Like and share. There are additional resources on these topics referenced below.